Auckland / Waikato News > December 2008

Summertime fishing
The fishing so far this season has been somewhat mixed, which is not uncommon for the early season and certainly the best fishing is yet to come.  It appears that groundwater levels are still low as rivers are dropping very quickly and are fishable within a couple of days after heavy rain.

Waipa headwaters
Brown trout are starting to move up into the Waipa headwaters from the lower Waikato River and should provide good fishing over January.  I’ve yet to hear any cicadas but they can’t be too far away.  Fishing pressure has been heavy on the more popular rivers, especially the Mangatutu where the best fishing has been in the lower river below Leithbridge Road.  Further upstream fish numbers are high but the fish are very shy.  Recommended waters include the upper Waipa River (above Toa Bridge), Puniu River and the Waipari Stream.

Foul behavior on the Awakino
Unfortunately at least one angler on the Awakino has been using the tracks leading down to the river as a toilet.  I’ve been sent some really gross photos by the local landowner – its definitely human as animals don’t use loo paper! If you have to go, please do it in the bush well away from the river and not on the riverbank.  And try to bury the solids. 

Western Rivers
The fishing has been quite hard on the Awakino, with fish numbers much reduced from last season, although the fish caught have been in good condition and large.  Excellent reports from anglers on both the Mangaohae and Mangataki with both rivers fishing well.

Two photos of Michael Lake fishing last week on the Mangaohae Stream:

South Waikato spring creeks 
The place to be on a hot summer day.  The Little Waipa has been fishing well but there is lot of silt in the river from upstream dairy conversions.  The other rivers should fish well over the summer especially on the dry fly – a royal Wulff is as good as any. 

Waipapa River
Access across the Landcorp farm on Ranginui Road is now reopened after being closed due to lambing. The blackberry between the deer fence and the river was sprayed last year and you can now easily walk back along the fenceline after fishing the upper river.  Nevertheless, I find it essential when fishing the Waipapa to carry garden clippers as the tracks get quickly overgrown with blackberry.

Lake Karapiro 
The fishing in the headwaters has picked up with the warmer weather and there has been a good evening rise.  Compared to previous years, there has been a lot more brown trout caught in the upper reaches. 

Lake Arapuni 
The fishing has been slow in the lower reaches around the Arapuni bridge but there has been some very good fishing in the northern end of the lake, both from the shore and trolling.

Whanganui and Whakapapa Rivers
Both rivers have experienced high fishing pressure and the fishing has generally been very good. The Whakapapa is holding high numbers of large browns, especially around Owhango and Kakahi.  These fish are very shy and are typically feeding near the tail of the pools. The summer flow regime has started on the Whakapapa, and the upper reaches have been flowing at about 8 cubic metres per second over the last week and will probably stay at this level over the summer.  At these flows, the river crossings in the upper reaches can be horrendous.  If you want to get away from the crowds, try the river below Taumarunui – big water, no other anglers, and lots of fish.

Ongarue River 
Recent reports indicate that the Ongarue is fishing ok.  This is a good area to go exploring over summer with camping sites next to the river and in the Pureora Forest. The five rivers in this part of King country provide a wide variety of fishing waters, and generally receive minimal angling pressure.
 
Ohinemuri River:
There have been good flows down the Ohinemuri since the start of the season so the fishing has improved with a notable increase in fish numbers since last season.

Tagged fish
Please report to Fish and Game the capture of any tagged trout.  There are tagged trout in Lakes Karapiro, Arapuni and in most rivers. The tags are located beneath the dorsal fin (top fin) and are all numbered.  Ideally we require the tag number, fish length, date of capture, and location. The fish length is not essential, so if you just get the tag number that’s fine, we still need this data.  However, if you’re doing a lot of fishing in local waters please consider taking a small tape measure. 

Ben Wilson
Fisheries Manager

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